“HONEY FROM THE ROCK”
11th December 2017.
------------------------------------------------
MONDAY, SECOND WEEK OF ADVENT
Reading 1: Is 35:1-10 Isaiah pictures the “Messianic times” in the beautiful imagery of a rejoicing desert and a humanity healed of all its ills.
Res. Psalm: Ps 85: 9-14 Look, our God is coming to save us. Justice shall march before him and peace shall follow his steps.
Gospel: Lk 5: 17-26 We are made present at the spiritual and physical healing of a paralytic. Jesus proves he can forgive sin by this miracle of healing.
------------------------------------------------
DESIRE TO BE HEALED AND FORGIVEN
The assurance of our personal worth and the worthwhileness of our life is one of the fruits of our forthcoming celebration of Christmas. Our God comes to save us! But the real assurance we need is that we will be freed from our sins and made whole. And Jesus in the Gospel provides that assurance. We see a healing take place in the atmosphere of persistent faith in Jesus Christ. The sick paralytic was helpless and had to be lifted up on a mat and brought to Jesus. Friends of the paralytic faced many hurdles before they could seek help from Jesus. It was a discouraging scene when they reached the house, but they never gave up. They went up to the roof, removed the tiles, scooped out an opening and lowered the paralytic through the roof right in front of Jesus. The Gospel records, ‘Jesus saw their faith.’ The paralytic did not seek Christ alone. His faith in the Lord was bolstered by the faith of his friends. Their concerted efforts paid off. Jesus heals the paralytic and forgives his sins. He receives not only a physical healing, but a complete healing from his sinful past.
What he did for the paralytic, he is more than willing to do for us. But there are responsibilities of our own that we need to be concerned about as Advent progresses. We need to want to be lowered down through the roof of our indifference and defeatism to the feet of Jesus present to us in so many different ways, above all, in the sacraments of reconciliation and the Eucharist. In a word, we have to want to be forgiven and restored to greater intimacy with Christ. Christmas will be totally meaningless for us, without a longing desire for a more conscious awareness of Christ Jesus in our lives.
Reflect, today, upon your desire to receive God’s forgiveness in your life. The reason Jesus came from Heaven to Earth was to offer you the forgiveness of your sins. Miracles do not matter, mercy and forgiveness do. May this Advent bring in the Joy into your life through God’s forgiveness.
Prayer: Come to us, Lord, and bring us peace. We will rejoice in your presence and serve you with all our heart. May I be able to rejoice in your presence and serve you with all my heart. Jesus, I trust in You. Amen.